If Channel Four’s Paralympics coverage has taught us anything so far, it is
that they are taking this very, very seriously.

That much was clear from Jon Snow’s grave commentary of the opening ceremony, during which he addressed virtually every competing nation through the macabre prism of deep tragedy.

“Here’s Cote d’Ivoire, terrible civil war … Democratic Republic of Congo, another war-torn country … Egypt, well that’s just a mess, isn’t it?”

On Thursday, as the live sport began, a news-like feel remained. Jonathan Edwards and Daraine Mulvihill were sat formally behind desks, keeping safely straight faces throughout. As the day wore on, though, the presenters were gradually liberated from their desks, with mixed results.

Arthur Williams, an occasional wheelchair athlete, attempted to talk us through a racing chair by climbing into one. It was a process that lasted several excruciating minutes, during which he eventually flipped himself into the seat, only to find his legs were the wrong way round. “It is a bit tricky,” he explained, seemingly baffled as to how he had come to be facing backwards.

Standing next to Williams was his co-host Georgie Bingham, sporting an extravagantly-preened hairstyle that extended several inches vertically from her scalp. “I’m a very curvy girl,” she observed helpfully, “but nonetheless this is a tiny seat.”

Bingham has worked in broadcasting for over a decade, representing the BBC, ITV, Sky and ESPN. But she had one gaping flaw: she was able-bodied. And for able-bodied folk, negotiating the lexicon of the Paralympics is like trying to cross a busy motorway on foot.

One false step — referring to the ‘regular Olympics’, calling Paralympians ‘brave’, describing a blind footballer as having ‘great vision’ — and metaphorically speaking, you may as well step in front of an articulated lorry, for this world is no longer yours to enjoy. This is what makes the Paralympics such a tough assignment, especially for a fledgling broadcaster.

But Bingham’s particular faux pas stemmed not from clumsiness or insensitivity. During her career, she has occasionally given the impression that she is attempting to present a broadcast with her hair alone, and this was one such moment.

“Can I ask you a possibly stupid question?” she asked Williams, who was still squeezing himself into his wheelchair. “Does this hurt?”

“No, because I can’t feel my legs,” replied Williams, who is paralysed from the waist down as a result of a car crash.

That segment, by the way, comprised a full seven minutes of television, after which Channel Four cut to 3½ minutes of adverts.

In fact, there was a curious shortage of live sport on Thursday, given there were 26 gold medals on offer in 11 sports. Of shooting, goalball, powerlifting, archery, volleyball, we saw but the merest trace.

Instead, there were overlong studio segments in which nervous presenters conversed with nervous studio guests.

Swimming analyst Giles Long was excellent, but after explaining the various categories, Mulvihill asked him: “For those who aren’t swimming aficionados, what do words like ‘drag’ and ‘propulsion’ actually mean?”

Still, a few first day jitters are only to be expected, given how desperately Channel Four want to be good at this. Once they iron out a few teething problems, they will assuredly be into their stride.

After all, just a few weeks ago Team GB were generating a trickle of negative headlines after going three days without winning a gold medal. Anyone remember how that one turned out?